Bottle carrier



Aprifl 9 71944 c. H. GQODYEAR BOTTLE CARRIER Filed July 22, 194.1

INVENTOR CHARljS 1%. @OQDYEAR BY 6%,, a

ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 4; 1944 BOTTLE CARRIER Charles H. Goodyear, Stockton, Calif assignor to Fibreboard Products Inc-., San Francisco, Calii'., a corporation of Delaware Application July 22, 1941, Serial No. 403,490 Claims. (01. 229-52) My invention relates to a receptacle for carrylng articles such as bottles.

It is among the objects of my invention to provide a receptacle having an improved cellular structure for retaining the articles.

Another object is to provide a receptacle incorporating improved means for carrying the articles and enhancing the display thereof.

Still another object is to provide a carrier adapted to collapse flat for shipment, and easily foldable from collapsed ,to set-up position.

Referring to the drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the carrier in set-up position;

Figure 2 is a similar view of the carrier partially collapsed; and

Figure 3 is a plan view of the blank from which part of the carrier is folded.

In terms of broad inclusion, my receptacle or carrier comprises a sheet creased and folded to form bottom and side walls, and extensions on the side walls looped to form pairs of contiguous cells preferably spaced apart to form a third pair of cells therebetween. A sheet comprising handle means is interposed between wall of the cells, and the bottom wall and cell formin extensions are creased to permit collapse of the receptacle into a flat package.

In greater detail, and referring to the drawing, my receptacle structure as embodied in a bottle carrier comprises a handle panel 2 having a finger receiving opening 3 formed from a sheet of relatively thick material or from two or more thinner sheets laminated to give the required thickness. If desired, a. flap formed at the finger opening may be folded up along an edge in accordance with usual practice to provide a better grip. The body portions of the carrier are folded from the H-shaped blank illustrated in Figure 3; this blank being preferably somewhat thinner than the handle panel. Any suitable sheet material may be employed for makingthese parts.

The body blank comprises a central portion having longitudinal creases 4 dividing it into a bottom wall I and side walls I. A medial crease B is also provided in bottom wall 6, which crease lies in the longitudinal axis 9 of the blank. The four projecting portions of the blank form extensions on the ends of side walls 1, and have transverse creases H dividing each extension into cell forming panels l2, l3, and It, and a fastening strip [6. These blank extensions are preferably narrower than the side wall and widen out to the full side wall width along sloping edges l1 lying in panels I2.

The blank is folded as shown in Figure 1 with the extensions looped to form pairs of contiguous cells spaced apart to form a third pair of cells therebetween; the fastening strips I6 being adhesively united to the inner surfaces of the sid walls. Handle panel 2 is interposed between cell panels l3 and is adhesively united to the opposing surfaces thereof. Each pair of cooperating panels l2 form an end wall of the receptacle, and panels it serve as partitions between the cells.

By this arrangement two rows of bottle receiving cells are provided, adapted to retain six'bottles, three to a row. The individual cells are preferably square-shaped and are proportioned to snugly engage opposite sides of the bottles it) so that the latter function to hold the cells in extended position, thereby giving rigidity to the structure as a whole.

In addition to providing secure support for the bottles, my carrier affords an excellent display of the product. As shown in Figure 1, the entire upper portions of the bottles are exposed at both the sides and ends of the carrier.

Furthermore, the lower portions of the end bottles are exposed through the openings at the base of the end Walls; these openings being formed by the narrowing of the blank extensions as described in connection with Figure 3.

Another important feature of the carrier is that it collapses flat for shipment and is easily folded to set-up position. The end walls of the receptacle have medial creases at the points where panels I2 are joined, so that the end walls are adapted to fold about vertical crease lines when handle panel 2 is shifted relative to the side walls. Partition panels I4 ofthe cells likewise fold about creases I l to permit inward movement of the side walls, as shown in Figure 2. Simultaneously the bottom wall 6 folds outwardly about horizontal crease 8, thus allowing the structure to collapse into a flat package. In order to set up the carrier it is only necessary to grasp the handle and press the downfolded bottom against a fiat surface, whereupon the body automatically unfolds itself to extended position.

It is to be noted that the cellular body does not collapse directly downwardly, but requires a lateral movement between the side walls and handle panel. As long as lateral movement is prevented, as by the presence of bottles in the cells, the carrier cannot collapse and the structure therefore effectively supports the load. This structural arrangement, wherein panels [2 and I4 swing laterally for collapsing movement and function as stress carrying webs against downward thrusts when the carrier is set up, is an important feature.

I claim:

1. A collapsible bottle carrier comprising a handle panel, side walls parallel with the handle panel, extensions upon the ends of the side walls creased for folding to provide a plurality of cell forming sections including transversely extending sections spaced to form a row of three cells between the handle panel and each side wall, said I transverse sections having opposite ends thereof hingedly connected to the handle panel and side panels respectively and being movable between erected positions normal to the side walls and collapsed positions in which said sections lie in flat unfolded relation between the planes of the handle panel and the adjacent side wall upon lateral movement of the handle panel and side walls relative to each other, and a bottom wall hingedly connected at its side edges to the side walls and creased along a longitudinal medial line for outward movement to a collapsed position.

2. A bottle carrier comprising an integral sheet forming bottom and side walls and extensions upon the ends of the side walls having hingedly connected sections inwardly looped to form cells upon the inner sides of the end portions of the side walls, the cells upon the ends of one side wall being contiguous along the longitudinal center line of the carrier with the corresponding cells upon the other side wall, and a form cells upon the inner sides of the end portions of the side walls, the cells upon the ends of cell therebetween.

one side wall being contiguous along the longitudinal center line of the carrier with the corresponding cells upon the other side wall, and a. handle panel interposed between and secured to g the contiguous sections of the cell forming extensions, the end cells upon each side of the handle panel being spaced to form a third cell of similar size between the side wall and the-handle panel, said cells being of a depth suitable for engaging the bottom portions only of bottles placed therein, and said handle extending upwardly between the rows of bottles whereby the upper portions of the bottles are displayed in rows upon opposite sides of the handle panel.

4. A bottle carrier comprising a handle panel, side walls equally spaced from thehandle panel upon opposite sides thereof, extensions upon the ends of the side walls creased and inwardly folded to form collapsible rows of cells between the side walls and the handle panel, said extensions comprising end sections extending from the side walls to the handle panel and center sections extending along and secured to the handle panel and partition sections extending from the handle panel to the side walls at points spaced to define three substantially similar cells upon each side of the handle, and a bottom hingedly connected to the lower edges of the side walls and creased along its longitudinal center line for collapsing movement.

5. A receptacle blank consisting of an H- shaped sheet, the center portion of the sheet having longitudinal creases dividing it intoa pair of hingedly connected bottom panels each of a length substantially three times its width, and side panels hingedly connected to the outer edges or the bottom panels, and each leg portion of the H-shaped sheet having transverse creases dividing it into three cell forming sections and a fastening strip, the transverse creases of each le portion being spaced to define sections of a width substantially the same as the width of a bottom panel whereby said leg portions may be infoled to form substantially square cells at the ends of each side wall panel spaced to form a similar CHARLES H. GOODYEAR. 

